How do you actually answer when is a time you failed ?
Hi!
I'd say that with the "tell me about a time you failed" question, firms are usually much more interested in your self-awareness and how you responded afterwards than the actual failure itself.
You don't need to pick some huge catastrophic failure, but I also wouldn't choose something that sounds overly polished or like a disguised strength (e.g. "I work too hard"). Usually, the strongest answers are situations where something genuinely did not go to plan, you took accountability for it, and then you changed something in your approach moving forward.
A structure that I would always try to follow is to explain:
- What happened
- Why it didn't go well
- What you learned from the experience, and
- What you changed afterwards
For example, you might try to display traits such as resilience, accountability, and the ability to reflect and improve - these are all essential traits for a trainee. Therefore, the "what I learned" part is usually more important than the failure itself.
Some examples that come to mind are things such as:
- Not preparing effectively for something
- Struggling with workload management initially
- A group project that did not go well
- An unsuccessful application/interview cycle
- Underperforming in a module or exam compared to expectations.
By way of an example, I always used to discuss my rejection from an AC in my second-year at university, and discussed that my feedback had highlighted I lacked commercial awareness. By choosing this example, I could discuss things such as BIUCAC and my internships in the following years to show that I had taken steps to improve in that area, and how I had changed my approach as a result.
The key is to make sure that the ending is constructive and shows growth, rather than leaving the story open-ended or on a negative note
